CHAP. VIII.

TOURNAMENTS AT PARIS AND AT BRUGES.— THE KING GOES TO MEAUX.—THE PRINCE OF PIEDMONT COMES TO PARIS.—THE LORD DU LAU ESCAPES FROM HIS CONFINEMENT IN THE CASTLE OF USSON, WHICH CAUSES MANY TO LOSE THEIR HEADS.—THE BRETONS AND BURGUNDIANS TAKE MERVILLE.—CHARLES DE MELUN BEHEADED.—THE SUBSTANCE OF WHAT PASSED BETWEEN THE KING AND THE DUKES OF BERRY AND BRITTANY.—PEACE CONCLUDED WITH THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY, IN THE YEAR MCCCCLXVIII.

OnMonday, the 5th day of May, the lady Ambroise de Lore, widow of the late sir Robert d'Estouteville, provost of Paris, died about an hour after midnight, and was much lamented; for she was a noble, good, and modest lady,—and all decent, well behaved persons were honourably received at her house. This same day, about nine or ten at night, a mill at Paris, belonging to the prior of St Ladre, took fire, through thecarelessness of a scoundrel-servant, who had stuck his candle against the wall near his bed, which fell thereon and burnt the premises; but this servant escaped, and ran away like a fox.

A tournament was held, on the 15th of this month, in front of the king's hôtel at the Tournelles, by four gentlemen belonging to the company of the grand seneschal of Normandy, who had ordered the lists, and prepared the field. They had caused proclamation to be made, that they would there be ready to break three lances against all comers.

Many Parisians appeared at the lists, on the appointed day: the first was Jean Raguier, overseer of the salt-magazines at Soissons, treasurer of the army in Normandy, and son to master Anthony Raguier, counsellor and treasurer of the king's armies. John Raguier arrived in great haste from Rouen, to be ready for this tournament, and came late in the evening of the day to St Ladre, attended by many gentlemen of the company of Joachim Rohault, marshal of France, and others, to the number of twenty horse.He remained secretly, and without noise at St Ladre, until the morrow, when his companions conducted him, with the sound of trumpets and clarions, to the lists. He was attended by four footmen, dressed in liveries, who kept close to the side of the courser he rode, ready to serve him and hold his lance. His companions were all uniformly dressed in handsome hoods, embroidered with great letters of gold.

He made several circuits of the lists before the other champions appeared, and behaved gallantly against them,—for he broke five lances, and would have done more, had the judges of the field permitted it. When he had so honourably performed his courses, he paraded round the lists, thanking the ladies and damsels for their presence, and taking his leave of the judges,—from all of whom he acquired much praise.

He was succeeded by an assessor of Paris, called Marc Senamy, and two sons of sir John Sanguin, who all acquitted themselves with courage and address, but did not gain equal praises with theirpredecessor. Then came Charles de Louviers, cup-bearer to the king, who carried himself with such gallantry and vigour that he broke several lances, and the prize of the day was adjudged to him. The four champions remained much bruised: two of them carried their arms in scarfs, and another had his hand badly wounded below his gauntlet,—so that the honour of the day belonged to the Parisians.

On the preceding Sunday, the 8th of May, another tournament was performed at Bruges before the duke of Burgundy with great triumph; and there another Parisian, called Jerom of Cambray, attached to the service of the duke, tilted, and carried away the prize[21].

When the tiltings were over at Paris the king left Amboise for that city, bringing with him the lords of Bourbon, of Lyon, of Beaujeu, and other greatbarons. He made some stay at Lagny sur Marne, Meaux, and other places in that neighbourhood. On the day of Ascension was an earthquake felt at Tours, Amboise, and in divers parts of Touraine. During the king's stay at Lagny and Meaux, he had his summons proclaimed in Paris, for all nobles and others to be prepared on the eighth day, in arms, to march whithersoever they should be ordered, under the severest penalties.

While he remained at Meaux, a man from the Bourbonnois was there beheaded, on the 27th day of June, for having revealed the king's secrets to his ancient enemies the English. Prior to this, the king had sent the prince of Piedmont, son to the duke of Savoy to Paris, to kindle a bonfire at the Greve, and to set at liberty all who were confined in the prisons of the parliament, the Châtelet, and elsewhere.

About this time, Charles de Melun, a man at arms in the company of the lord admiral, having been made governor of the castle of Usson in Auvergne, had the guard of the person of the lord duLau intrusted to him on pain of his life. But this lord made his escape, to the great vexation of the king, who, in consequence, had Charles de Melun confined in the castle of Loches, and afterwards beheaded there for his negligence. A youth called Remmonet, the son of Melun's wife, was also beheaded at Tours for this escape,—and the king's attorney at Usson suffered a similar fate at Meaux for the same cause. The king, on leaving Meaux, went to Senlis, and thence to Creil.

The Burgundians and Bretons still kept possession of Normandy, and one day took prisoner the lord de Merville—which town of Merville is situated between St Sauveur sur Dive and Caen—and forced him to surrender the place, in which was a body of franc-archers. The instant they entered the town, they murdered all they found, hung the lord de Merville, and, having completely pillaged the houses and castle, set the whole on fire.

The king went from Creil to Compiégne, where he made some stay, and then returned to Senlis. The duke ofBurgundy came from Senlis to Paris on the feast of the Assumption of our Lady but the king, before his departure, had sent the lord of Lyon and the lord constable to the duke of Burgundy, to negotiate terms of peace between them.

The king, however, did not fail to order his army into Normandy, under the command of the lord admiral. He was so diligent that in less than a month he drove away the Bretons who had possessed themselves of Bayeux.

On Saturday the 20th of August, sir Charles de Melun lord of Normanville, and lately grand master of the household, who had been imprisoned at the castle of Gaillard[22], under the guard of the count de Dammartin, was tried before the provost of the marshals, for the crimes he was accused of, and was this day taken out of prison, carried to the market-place of Andeli[23], and there publicly beheaded.

The king remained at Noyon, Compiègne, Chauny, and other places thereabout, until the 15th of September, when news was brought him that the lord Charles his brother and the duke of Brittany were become good friends and well-wishers to his person; that the lord Charles was willing to accept of the annual pension of sixty thousand francs, and such an appanage as those lords whom he would fix upon as his arbitrators should agree to. His arbitrators were the duke of Calabria and the constable of France.

The duke of Brittany offered to restore to the king the towns his men held in Normandy, if those the king had possession of in Brittany were given in exchange, which was agreed to by the king.Information of this was sent to the duke of Burgundy then with his army near to Peronne, between Eclusiers and Cappy on the river Somme; but he was unwilling to believe it, until it was confirmed by the lord Charles and the duke of Brittany. And although this reconciliation was afterward certified to him by the herald of the duke of Brittany, he would not disband his army, but marched it to a strong position on the Somme between Eclusiers and Cappy le Doz, which he made stronger by outworks.

During this time, different embassies were sent by the king to the duke of Burgundy by the lord constable, the cardinal of Angers, master Pierre d'Oriole, and others, to negotiate a pacification, which the king was greatly desirous of,—although his captains were of a different opinion, and required of the king to allow them to act, and they would deliver the duke and his whole army into his hands; but this he would never permit,—and even forbade any hostile acts, on pain of death. On the 12th of October, it was publicly known that a truce untilthe ensuing month of April had been concluded between them, and that the king, in consequence, had determined to go to Creil and Pontoise, whither he had sent his harbingers; but he afterwards changed his mind, and returned in haste from Compiègne to Noyon, which he had just left.

In this interval, Philip de Savoye, Poncet de Riviere, lord Dulsé, the lord du Lau, with others who had joined them, did very great mischiefs to the country they had overrun. In consequence, a proclamation was made in Paris on the 8th day of October, for all the nobles and other vassals within the provostship and viscounty of Paris, to muster in arms at Gonesse on the Monday following, and be ready to march where-ever they should be ordered. This proclamation greatly alarmed the Parisians, for fear the reports of a truce should prove unfounded.

The king hearing that the duke of Burgundy was gone to Peronne, left Noyon in a hurry to meet him there. He was accompanied by few persons,having with him only the cardinal of Angers, some few of his household, the duke of Bourbon, and others. Thus privately did he go to Peronne, to the duke of Burgundy, who received him, as he was bound to do, with much respect. They were long in private conversation, and seemed so perfectly satisfied with each other, notwithstanding what had passed before, that a peace was agreed on between them. The duke of Burgundy swore that henceforward he would never do any thing contrary to the king's will, and that he would remain his faithful servant and subject until death.

In concluding this peace, the king confirmed the treaty of Arras,—and other private articles were agreed on, as the king afterwards advertised his nobles, churchmen, court of parliament at Paris, and populace, for which great rejoicings were made, with general processions, and singing of 'Te Deum laudamus,' and other praises to God. Bonfires were made and tables laid out in all the streets for whoever chose to eat or drink.

While this was passing, news camethat the Liegeois had made prisoner and put to death their bishop, with all his officers,—which much angered the king, the dukes of Burgundy and Bourbon, and others of his brothers. This was followed by the intelligence that the duke of Burgundy was preparing to march against them in person to punish them. Immediately different news was brought, namely, that the bishop was neither put to death nor a prisoner, but that the Liegeois had constrained him to chaunt at mass; that ever since they had been well pleased with him, and acknowledged him for their true lord, promising him all obedience in hopes by this conduct to efface from his mind their former behaviour to him.

FOOTNOTES:[21]Fuller particulars of this tournament may be seen in the Memoirs of Oliver de la Marche. Philip de Comines tilted with Jerom, of Cambray; but it is not said that Jerom, in this tilting, bore off the honour.[22]Gaillard, Q. Gaillon? on the Seine.[23]Andeli,—Andeli le petit, a league distant from Gaillon. The count de Dammartin was the greatest enemy to sir Charles de Melun, who once enjoyed the most unbounded power and favour with Louis XI. The executioner failed in his first attempt to behead him; on which sir Charles arose and declared himself innocent of the charges laid against him; but said, that if it was the king's pleasure for him to die, he was contented, and relaid his head on the block very quietly, when it was cut off.

[21]Fuller particulars of this tournament may be seen in the Memoirs of Oliver de la Marche. Philip de Comines tilted with Jerom, of Cambray; but it is not said that Jerom, in this tilting, bore off the honour.

[22]Gaillard, Q. Gaillon? on the Seine.

[23]Andeli,—Andeli le petit, a league distant from Gaillon. The count de Dammartin was the greatest enemy to sir Charles de Melun, who once enjoyed the most unbounded power and favour with Louis XI. The executioner failed in his first attempt to behead him; on which sir Charles arose and declared himself innocent of the charges laid against him; but said, that if it was the king's pleasure for him to die, he was contented, and relaid his head on the block very quietly, when it was cut off.

Back to Index Next